780 research outputs found

    Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose in Black Caribbean and South Asian Canadians with Non-insulin Treated Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Qualitative Study of Patients’ Perspectives.

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    Abstract Background:To examine the views and current practice of SMBG among Black Caribbean and South Asian individuals with non-insulin treated Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Twelve participants completed semi-structured interviews that were guided by the Health Belief Model and analyzed using thematic network analysis. Results: The frequency of monitoring among participants varied from several times a day to once per week. Most participants expressed similar experiences regarding their views and practices of SMBG. Minor differences across gender and culture were observed. All participants understood the benefits, but not all viewed SMBG as beneficialto their personal diabetes management. SMBG can facilitate a better understanding and maintenance of self-care behaviours. However, it can trigger both positive and negative emotional responses, such as a sense of disappointment when high readings are not anticipated, resulting in emotional distress. Health care professionals play a key role in the way SMBG is perceived and used by patients. Conclusion:While the majority of participants value SMBG as a self-management tool, barriers exist that impede its practice, particularly its cost. How individuals cope with these barriers is integral to understanding why some patients adopt SMBG more than others

    Stratigraphy of Cretaceous to Lower Pliocene sediments in the northern part of Cyprus based on comparative 87Sr/86Sr isotopic, nannofossil and planktonic foraminiferal dating

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    New age data from Sr isotope analysis and both planktonic foraminifera and nannofossils are presented and discussed here for the Upper Eocene–Upper Miocene sedimentary rocks of the Değirmenlik (Kythrea) Group. New dating is also given of some Cretaceous and Pliocene sediments. In a revised stratigraphy the Değirmenlik (Kythrea) Group is divided into ten formations. Different Upper Miocene formations are developed to the north and south of a regionally important, E–W-trending syn-sedimentary fault. The samples were dated wherever possible by three independent methods, namely utilizing Sr isotopes, calcareous nannofossils and planktonic foraminifera. Some of the Sr isotopic dates are incompatible with the nannofossil and/or the planktonic foraminiferal dates. This is mainly due to reworking within gravity-deposited or current-affected sediments. When combined, the reliable age data allow an overall biostratigraphy and chronology to be erected. Several of the boundaries of previously defined formations are revised. Sr data that are incompatible with well-constrained biostratigraphical ages are commonly of Early Miocene age. This is attributed to a regional uplift event located to the east of Cyprus, specifically the collision of the Anatolian (Eurasian) and Arabian (African) plates during Early Miocene time. This study, therefore, demonstrates that analytically sound Sr isotopic ages can yield geologically misleading ages, particularly where extensive sediment reworking has occurred. Convincing ages are obtained when isotopic dating is combined with as many forms of biostratigraphical dating as possible, and this may also reveal previously unsuspected geological events (e.g. tectonic uplift or current activity)

    Positive approximations of the inverse of fractional powers of SPD M-matrices

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    This study is motivated by the recent development in the fractional calculus and its applications. During last few years, several different techniques are proposed to localize the nonlocal fractional diffusion operator. They are based on transformation of the original problem to a local elliptic or pseudoparabolic problem, or to an integral representation of the solution, thus increasing the dimension of the computational domain. More recently, an alternative approach aimed at reducing the computational complexity was developed. The linear algebraic system Aαu=f\cal A^\alpha \bf u=\bf f, 0<α<10< \alpha <1 is considered, where A\cal A is a properly normalized (scalded) symmetric and positive definite matrix obtained from finite element or finite difference approximation of second order elliptic problems in ΩRd\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^d, d=1,2,3d=1,2,3. The method is based on best uniform rational approximations (BURA) of the function tβαt^{\beta-\alpha} for 0<t10 < t \le 1 and natural β\beta. The maximum principles are among the major qualitative properties of linear elliptic operators/PDEs. In many studies and applications, it is important that such properties are preserved by the selected numerical solution method. In this paper we present and analyze the properties of positive approximations of Aα\cal A^{-\alpha} obtained by the BURA technique. Sufficient conditions for positiveness are proven, complemented by sharp error estimates. The theoretical results are supported by representative numerical tests

    The Iowa Homemaker vol.7, no.6

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    The Place of the Child by Anna E. Richardson, page 1 Liver for My Hotspur by Jeanette Beyer McCay, page 2 Christmas Problems for the Home Economics Class by Marcia E. Turner, page 3 Taking the Drudgery Out of Ironing Day by Edith Carse, page 4 Home Life in Uruguay by Frances Thomas, page 5 Girls’ 4-H Page, page 6 Looking Ahead in the State Association by Vera L. Mintle, page 8 Do We Need Help in Household Buying? by Frances A. Sims, page 10 Who’s There and Where by Dr. Lillian B. Storms, page 1

    Critical Behavior of the 3d Random Field Ising Model: Two-Exponent Scaling or First Order Phase Transition?

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    In extensive Monte Carlo simulations the phase transition of the random field Ising model in three dimensions is investigated. The values of the critical exponents are determined via finite size scaling. For a Gaussian distribution of the random fields it is found that the correlation length ξ\xi diverges with an exponent ν=1.1±0.2\nu=1.1\pm0.2 at the critical temperature and that χξ2η\chi\sim\xi^{2-\eta} with η=0.50±0.05\eta=0.50\pm0.05 for the connected susceptibility and χdisξ4ηˉ\chi_{\rm dis}\sim\xi^{4-\bar{\eta}} with ηˉ=1.03±0.05\bar{\eta}=1.03\pm0.05 for the disconnected susceptibility. Together with the amplitude ratio A=limTTcχdis/χ2(hr/T)2A=\lim_{T\to T_c}\chi_{\rm dis}/\chi^2(h_r/T)^2 being close to one this gives further support for a two exponent scaling scenario implying ηˉ=2η\bar{\eta}=2\eta. The magnetization behaves discontinuously at the transition, i.e. β=0\beta=0, indicating a first order transition. However, no divergence for the specific heat and in particular no latent heat is found. Also the probability distribution of the magnetization does not show a multi-peak structure that is characteristic for the phase-coexistence at first order phase transition points.Comment: 14 pages, RevTeX, 11 postscript figures (fig9.ps and fig11.ps should be printed separately
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